Chateau Margaux - Pavillon Rouge 2018

JAMES SUCKLING: "Blackberry, plum, light earth and undergrowth on the nose. Citrus, too. It’s full-bodied with rich, chewy tannins that turn energetic, fine and tight on the finish. Lively acidity. Second wine of Margaux. A blend of 69% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot, 9% petit verdot and 3% cabernet franc. Try after 2024."

WEINWISSER: "69 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 19 % Merlot, 9 % Petit Verdot, 3 % Cabernet Franc. Granat mit violettem Rand. Verhaltenes Waldbeerbouquet, dahinter Cassis und Veilchen sowie Lakritze. Am kräftigen Gaumen mit stützendem Tannin und reifem, fleischigem Extrakt. Im aromatischen, fein spröden Finale stützende Mineralik, etwas Graphit und getrocknete Wildkirschen. Kann noch zulegen."

JEB DUNNUCK: "This cuvée has been in the running for the best second wine in the vintage for a number of years now, and I think it just might be there in 2018. The 2018 Château Margaux Pavillon Rouge checks in as 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, and it's no lightweight effort, revealing a dense purple color as well as gorgeous crème de cassis, black cherry, crushed violets, sandalwood, smoke tobacco, and incense. It's loaded with Château Margaux character, has medium to full-bodied richness, ample structure, and a great finish. I followed this bottle for multiple days and it only improved with air. Don't underestimate this second wine – it's incredibly impressive. Hide bottles for 3-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, violetter, tiefer Kern, zarte Ockerrandaufhellung. Zarte Nuancen von Nougat und Herzkirschen, Brom- und Heidelbeerkonfit, kandierte Orangenzesten und feine Edelholzwürze. Straff, reife schwarze Kirschfrucht, feste, gut integrierte Tannine, mineralisch und elegant, zarte Kräuterwürze im Nachhall, bleibt sehr gut haften, die Tannine waren die höchsten seit je, sind gut eingebunden und rund, schokoladiger Touch im Nachhall, sicheres Reifepotenzial. (2020–2050)"

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This second wine of Château Margaux, grand in its own right, is powerfully dense. It displays its own style and balance between rich black fruits and the acidity that shines through the structure. The wine will age well, its ripeness and concentration likely to soften as it matures. Drink from 2026."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Elegant, refined and aromatic with easy to find notes of flowers, smoked herbs, cigar box and ripe, red fruits. Medium-bodied, soft, fresh and silky, everything feels incredibly balanced on your palate. This is going to need 3-4 years of aging before it is ready to drink. The wine was made from blending 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc, 14.5%"

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2018 Pavillon Rouge is a blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 3% Cabernet Franc, with 14.5% alcohol. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vivacious scents of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and blackcurrant pastilles with suggestions of bay leaves, pencil lead, tapenade and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a generous amount of black fruit at the core with loads of earthy and savory accents and a soft, approachable frame, finishing long with an herbal lift. It is approachable now but should be a lot more expressive with a couple of years in bottle and drink nicely over the following 15 to 18 years or more."

DECANTER: "Tight, bright firm fruits, packed with finely tuned tannins, with a clear velvety texture. The highest tannin levels they have ever produced in Pavillon Rouge, close to the levels in 1996. There is an austerity to the wine right now. You get the spice of the Petit Verdot - also at the highest level to date - giving cushion and complexity to the blackberry, raspberry and bilberry fruits. Even this second wine should be given at least eight to 10 years to really soften because of these tannins, and it is set for the long term. 3.61pH, with 30% of the overall harvest in Pavillon Rouge in 2018. Bottled July 2020. 3% Cabernet Franc makes up the blend, with 13% press wine. 60% new oak ageing. Drinking Window 2026 - 2042"

WINE SPECTATOR: "A singed alder note frames a core of gently steeped plum and black currant flavors while smoldering tobacco, bay and warm earth hints fill in through the finish. Caressing in feel and seductive through the sneaky long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2034."